Predators Start Matt Murray Against Senators After Recall

The Nashville Predators turned to Matt Murray for their road game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, October 10, 2026, as injuries continued to affect their goaltending options. Murray made his season debut after being recalled from the Milwaukee Admirals, filling in while Justus Annunen remained unavailable with an undisclosed injury.

According to CBS Sports, Murray received the starting assignment after Juuse Saros had started four consecutive games. Ottawa entered the matchup having scored 14 goals through its first four games of the season.

Annunen's absence has shaped Nashville's early-season roster decisions. The goaltender was placed on injured reserve on October 6 after sustaining an injury during practice the previous Thursday, according to the NHL's Status Report. He had not appeared in a regular-season game this season.

Annunen recorded a 10-12-2 record, a 2.68 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage in 28 games, including 23 starts, for Nashville last season. His recovery timeline remained unclear in the available reports.

Murray had initially been recalled from Milwaukee ahead of Nashville's October 3 game against the Dallas Stars, according to Sports Illustrated. At that point, head coach Andrew Brunette had described the starting-goaltender decision as a game-time determination because of uncertainty surrounding Annunen's availability.

The 28-year-old Murray had previously appeared in four NHL games for the Dallas Stars, posting an .885 save percentage and one shutout. During his time with Milwaukee over the preceding two seasons, he recorded eight shutouts across 90 appearances, according to Sports Illustrated.

Nashville subsequently reassigned Murray to Milwaukee and recalled forward Vitali Pinchuk, according to a team announcement published by Urban Milwaukee. The roster move followed Pinchuk's North American professional debut with the Admirals in their season-opening victory over Rockford, when he finished with a plus-one rating and two shots on goal.

Pinchuk had ranked third in the KHL with 31 goals and tied for sixth with 66 points during the 2025-26 season, playing 65 games for Dinamo Minsk. The 6-foot-3, 203-pound center also recorded 35 assists and established career highs in goals, assists and points, according to the announcement.

The Predators' goaltending situation remained dependent on Annunen's recovery. CBS Sports reported that Murray would likely return to the American Hockey League once Annunen became available, leaving Nashville to manage its roster around the injured goaltender's status.